1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a process for the manufacture of axially symmetrical bodies by spraying a molten metal, e.g. molten steel and collecting the sprayed molten metal on a base.
2. Background of the Invention:
The manufacture of round products by spray forming is disclosed, for example, in EP-A1 0 225 732, EP-A1 0 188 994 or GB-PS 1,599,392, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. A common feature of all of these processes is that molten metal is atomized by means of a nozzle, and the metal droplets produced in this manner are collected on a rotating base, which base can be a plate having a vertical axis of rotation or a base having an inclined or horizontal axis of rotation.
The geometry and dimensions of the product are thereby a function of the quantity of molten metal flowing through the nozzle per unit of time, the angle of oscillation of the nozzle, the distance of the nozzle from the base and the speed at which the base is moved away from the nozzle or is transported past the nozzle. The objective is to achieve the specified dimension of a product by keeping the quantitative flow of the metal and a specified velocity of movement of the base constant. However, these objectives are not achieved in a satisfactory manner.
To produce round bars having a specified final length, a process is preferred in which the metal droplets are sprayed onto a horizontal plate which rotates around a vertical axis, while the plate is lowered vertically.